You need to perform a karma cleanse, so that you can rid yourself of the toxic accumulation that has gathered in your soul. It happens to everyone. We make hundreds of compromises with our principles every week (“Ugh, I don’t want to talk to my sister–I’ll pretend I’m not near my phone.”). It isn’t just doing things we wish we hadn’t; it is also about not doing things that would make us happier and more fulfilled. Our decisions and indecisions add up to revisions on how we want to live. It is part of navigating through the world.
A karma cleanse aims to wash those away. It helps you start over, with a clean slate. Just as your body is ready to take in nourishment after ridding yourself of the sludge and Slim Jims of a bad diet, or your heart is ready to find love after cleaning out past baggage, your soul will be ready to start a new karmic cycle. Here’s how to do it.
Six Steps For A Karma Cleanse
First, though, we have to be clear what karma is. It isn’t just “if you do something bad, something bad will happen to you,” like if you cut in line at the store you’ll be hit by a garbage truck. You don’t win the lottery because you held open a door. The universe isn’t proportioned like that. It isn’t just action/reaction. Rather, karma is the totality of your actions, in a cosmos that rewards balance. In some beliefs, the sum total of who you are decides divine rewards of lifecycle benefits. But, in the end, it is about living a better life, which doesn’t have to be because of a carrot or a stick.
Cleansing your karma is a sort of reset. It allows you to, if not start over, at least turn the page:
Seek Forgiveness. Find those you have wronged in ways both large and small and work for forgiveness. Make up what you owe, and be genuine in your contrition. Even if they don’t give it, the act of truly being sorry for what you have done frees up a burden.
- Bestow Forgiveness. Forgiveness runs both ways. Forgive those who have wronged you. Holding on to anger creates a festering psychic wound. This isn’t a matter of just saying “it’s okay”–it is internal, about letting go.
- Find Gratitude. This can be as easy as making a list of that for which you are grateful. This can help open your eyes to the goodness of the world around you and make you more accepting of things that don’t always work in your favor.
- Contribute Goodness. Make a list of something you can do every day to bring a little more happiness to the planet. This can range from talking to the lonely woman at work to cleaning up the highway. The good you do doesn’t come back on a 1:1 basis, but it does circle round by making a better world for everyone to live in. And that ‘everyone’ includes you.
Explore Your Intentions. Dive deep within yourself to find out why you do what you do. Is volunteering selfless, or do you just want to show up Helen? Do you know why you keep taking credit for other people’s work? Learning about yourself can help shape your actions. The first bit of wisdom, according to the Oracles, is to know yourself. All goodness flows from there.- Discover Beauty. We can see the clouds, or we can remember that all the water on earth came from space billions of years ago, in an endless cycle of evaporation and distribution, and know that we are part of that seemingly infinite dance. There is beauty and joy everywhere, and opening yourself up to that impacts how you treat those around you.
A karma cleanse doesn’t mean you will suddenly be discovered by Hollywood. It is internal. It is about letting yourself be ready to both accept and bestow goodness. It sets you back in alignment. It makes your life better, and it makes the world better.
Exploring one’s intentions is a crucial step that many overlook. Self-awareness can indeed lead to a more fulfilling life.
Agreed. Knowing oneself is the foundation of authentic living and ethical behavior.
I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of karma. The steps outlined here seem practical and applicable to everyday life.
True, but it can still serve as a guide for introspection and personal development.
While the idea is compelling, I’m not sure if it aligns with all philosophical perspectives on karma.
The idea of contributing goodness to the world as part of a personal cleansing process is both noble and practical.
The emphasis on forgiveness and gratitude is very reminiscent of many psychological practices aimed at improving mental health.
Discovering beauty in everyday life is a wonderful practice. It can truly change one’s perspective and interactions with others.
Finding beauty in nature, particularly, can be very grounding and revitalizing.
The concept of a karma cleanse is intriguing. It’s an interesting take on personal growth and self-improvement.
While a karma cleanse won’t solve all life’s problems, it can certainly help set a positive tone and mindset for tackling challenges.
The differentiation between karma and simple action/reaction is well-stated. It provides a more nuanced understanding of the concept.